1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a self-learning apparatus for reading (pronouncing) and writing (typing) of the Japanese language and particularly to an apparatus for helping non-Japanese to lear pronunciation of the Japanese language, and typing of the Japanese language in Japanese kana-letters, as well as to judge correctness or incorrectness of the pronunciation by the learner oneself.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The Japanese language comprises sixty eight sounds composed of vocal cord vibrations, i.e.;
1. Five "vocal-cord-vibration"sounds which correspond to the five vowels A, I, U, E and O of the English language respectively, and are distinguishable from each other;
2. Forty five vocal-cord vibration sounds which are produced by incorporation nine voiceless consonants K, S, T, N, H, M, Y, R and W of the English language the respective five vowels and are distinguishable to each other;
3. Twenty five vocal cords vibrating sounds which are produced by incorporation of five voiced consonants G, Z, D, B, and P of the English language with the respective five vowls, and are distinguishable from each other; and
4. One vocal-coard vibrating nasal sound "N" of the English language which is distinguishable from the other vocal cords vibrating sounds; as described in the following words table W.T.
______________________________________ W.t.: A I U E O hereinafter called A line (AL) KA KI KU KE KO " KA line (KL) SA SI SU SE SO " SA line (SL) TA TI TU TE TO " TA line (TL) NA NI NU NE NO " NA line (NL) HA HI HU HE HO " HA line (HL) MA MI MU ME MO " MA line (ML) YA -- YU -- YO " YA line (YL) RA RI RU RE RO " RA line (RL) WA -- -- -- -- " WA line (WL) GA GI GU GE GO " GA line (GL) ZA ZI ZU ZE ZO " ZA line ZL) DA -- -- DE DO " DA line (DL) BA BI BU BE BO " BA line (BL)
PI PU PE PO " PA line (PL) and N ______________________________________
In the table, voiced sounds of the Japanese language, such as YI, YE belonging to the YA line; WI, WU, WE and WO belonging to the WA line and DI, DU belonging to the DA line are eliminated. This is so because they are practically indistinguishable in Japanese pronuciation, as well as in auditory serecption thereof, from that of voiced sounds, such as I, E, I, U, E, O, ZI and ZU of the table. They are shown by blank marks (-).
A Japanese language identifying apparatus which identifies the Japanese language according to its characteristic vocal-cord vibrating sounds and indicates the language by printing in the Japanese kana-letters (syllabic characters), has been described for example; in the specification of the Japanese Patent publication N0. 3640/1936, published on September 14, 1936.
Said known apparatus identifies one of vowels of the Japanese language according to difference of frequency components between the voiced sounds for the vowels and produces and impulse current for the identified vowel to operate a printer for said vowel. It identifies one of consonants of the Japanese language according to difference of frequency components between the voiced sounds for the consonants and produces an impulse current for the identified consonant to operate a printer for said consonant. Printers for the consonant operate on receiving both impulse currents for a consonant and a vowel, as described in this publication.
The present invention depends on the technique suggested in said known publication for identifying the Japanese language. A device embodied such technique will be called hereinafter as the Japanese language identifying device.